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Jeffco student-athletes sign with colleges near and far

Arvada West High School had 11 student-athletes sign their National Letter of Intent on Feb. 7.

Photo by Jack Maher/Jeffco Public Schools

Posted
Monday, February 12, 2018 4:17 pm

Dennis Pleuss
Jeffco Public Schools

From the University of Alaska to the University of Hawaii and beyond … Jeffco student-athletes will fan out to all corners of the United States to pursue their college dreams next school year.

Feb. 7 marked another National Letter of Intent Signing Day. A total of a dozen high schools within Jeffco Public Schools had signing celebrations on Wednesday.

“It’s always a special day,” Columbine principal Scott Christy said during the Rebels’ celebration.

While Jeffco students will be taking their talents to several local schools, along with out-of-state programs there seems to be a surprising pipeline from Jeffco to the University of North Dakota football program.

Columbine’s Mikey Griebel and Ralston Valley’s Ty Shannon signed to play football for the Fighting Hawks’ a year ago.

Today, Columbine senior Ted Mullin continued the trend of UND tapping the football talent from Jeffco.

“Last year they (Fighting Hawks) showed some interest starting in April and they never stopped,” Mullin said of his recruitment by North Dakota. “The coaches were awesome. It’s a blessing to be able to play college football there. I’m excited about going up there to be with some dudes that I know. It will be fun.”

Griebel, a receiver at UND after being a two-way star for the Rebels during his three years at Columbine, ended up redshirting his freshman year due to injury.

“There are no words to describe how not only happy I am that Teddy is coming up to be a Hawk, but how eager I am,” Griebel said via text Tuesday. “There is no stopping short for Teddy and having a kid like that on your team is essential.”

Griebel describes Mullin as not only a high school teammate, but a “very close friend” and added he can’t wait until July when he gets to reunite on the football field with his former teammate.

“We (North Dakota) landed not only an intense competitor, but an even better person,” Griebel said.

The Fighting Hawks will also be getting a multi-sport athlete in Mullin. The senior is about to compete at regionals this coming weekend for Columbine’s wrestling team. Mullin is also planning on being on the Rebels’ track team again this spring.

“North Dakota has preached to me how much they enjoy multi-sport athletes,” said Mullin, who is expected to be an outside linebacker for the UND. “It’s been huge for me in high school. It has made me a better competitor and a better athlete. I’m really thankful I choose to do more than one sport.”

It came down to the wire.
Jeffco Schools Superintendent Dr. Jason Glass called it a “Hail Mary.”
On Election Night, the measure was down more than 8,000 votes, but as more votes were counted in the days that followed Election Day, the gap between those wanting to fund the $567 million bond for Jefferson County Public Schools and those not, narrowed.

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